Fredonia Geology & Environmental Sciences

06/18/2026

Recently, Tom Hegna collaborated with partners at the Patterson Library in Westfield to develop paleontology-themed summer reading kits for local libraries as part of this year's summer reading theme, "Unearth a Story."

The kits introduce young readers to fossils, paleontology, and Earth history through hands-on educational materials designed to spark curiosity and exploration.

Read more about the project here:
https://www.fredonia.edu/news/articles/summer-reading-kits-facilitated-faculty-member-and-student

In response to an "Unearth A Story" Summer Reading Program theme, kits will be assembled for summer fun.

06/16/2026

Our own Dr. Tom Hegna has created a nice video on fossils of western New York. Check it out....

Fredonia New York of Geology and Environmental Science

This video gives an introduction to common fossils in western New Y...

05/15/2026

check out this nice video highlighting the recent Utah trip that Dr. Hegna led and our students enjoyed. Looks like it was a great trip...

05/13/2026

End-of-semester creativity at its finest 🎨🌎💧

During the semester, several of our students turned the classroom whiteboards into a collection of sketches showing their experiences in Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology this semester. From fieldwork and surveying to wells, rivers, and “professor interpretations,” the drawings capture the chaos, humor, and fun of a typical semester in the geosciences.

We especially appreciate the artistic depictions of the faculty… 👀😂
Can you guess who is who?

05/08/2026

**Post Edit** Unfortunately, we found a few errors in the original video that was posted, so we are uploading an edited, correct (hopefully), version in the comments - check it out. Our apologies for the mix up.

It’s that time of year again as we wrap up another academic year in the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at SUNY Fredonia. We recently held our annual student awards ceremony and were reminded once again what a great group of energized, curious, and genuinely enjoyable students we have.

We are also sad to share that our own Kim Weborg-Benson will be retiring this summer after more than 20 years with the department. She will truly be missed.

Check out this short video highlighting our award winners and celebrating another great year!

05/04/2026

As we've mentioned previously, SUNY Fredonia’s Soil Judging Team recently competed at the 2026 National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest in Raleigh, NC, going up against 29 teams and more than 300 students from across the country. A short article of our journey appeared in the Dunkirk Observer recently and it is linked to here.

Its nice to have a little good news coming out of SUNY Fredonia.

During March 22 to 27 in Raleigh, N.C., the State University of New York at Fredonia Soil Judging team went after a National Championship. What is soil judging? Associate Professor Matthew Purtill noted that soil judging functions as an immersive “field conference,” during which undergraduate st...

04/22/2026

Hey—our department is in the local news! 🌎

The SUNY Fredonia Department of Geology & Environmental Sciences is featured in the Chautauqua Gazette highlighting the real, local impact of student and faculty research, from algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake, to reservoir water quality and stream restoration, to the search for critical minerals.

Great to see the work getting recognized! Check out the article here:

The official website of the Chautauqua Gazette. Live CHQ. Love CHQ. Read CHQ.

04/07/2026

We’re proud to highlight another faculty publication from SUNY Fredonia’s Geology & Environmental Science program, one of the most prolific on campus!

Dr. Wentao Cao has co-authored a new article, “Growth and deformation of apatite across metamorphic facies during collisional orogenesis,” focusing on apatite research in the Tibetan Plateau.

Read the article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00410-025-02293-7

03/31/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Wentao Cao on serving as a guest editor for a new special issue of Journal of Asian Earth Sciences: X!

This international volume explores the tectonic evolution of Asia’s Tethys domain, highlighting how processes like continental collision, subduction, and crustal deformation built major mountain belts and shaped continental crust.

The issue brings together cutting-edge research across structural geology, petrology, geochemistry, and geochronology.

03/28/2026

Hey everyone! We just wrapped up the 2026 National Soil Judging Competition in Raleigh, NC.

Our team, Mia Enders, Alex Gombos, Weston Hepler, and Emma Steffenhagen, earned their spot at Nationals after qualifying at Regionals this past fall. Alongside Dr. Purtill, the team was coached by Rachel Echevarria and alumni Dominique Martello.

This was a big milestone for us, as we’ve only had a full team for the past two years. We were proud to compete alongside more than 300 students from 29 schools, some of the best and brightest in soil science.

While we didn’t bring home a national title this time, we had an incredible experience and learned a lot along the way.

Check out this awesome video that Dominique filmed and edited to see what soil judging is all about!